Is a wiring diagram enough to understand the brain? In this episode, we dive into how researchers combined whole-brain optogenetic stimulation with calcium imaging in C. elegans to reveal functional neural connections that go beyond the traditional connectome.

Key insights include:

A new functional atlas built from ~23,000 neuron pair experiments How neuropeptides and extrasynaptic signals contribute to brain activity Strong functional links often exist without anatomical connections A data-driven rethinking of how neural signals propagate and integrate Implications for plasticity, brain evolution, and full-organism modelling

This episode sheds light on how small brains can perform complex processing — by rewiring our assumptions about wiring.

📖 Based on the research article: “Neural signal propagation atlas of Caenorhabditis elegans” Francesco Randi, Anuj K. Sharma, Sophie Dvali & Andrew M. Leifer Published in Nature (2023) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06683-4

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism insights into behaviour, neuroscience, and beyond.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

In this episode, we go beyond the famous C. elegans connectome to explore how signal propagation doesn’t always follow the wires. Using powerful whole-brain calcium imaging combined with single-cell optogenetic activation, researchers mapped over 23,000 neuron pairings to build a functional atlas that rewrites parts of the worm’s wiring diagram.

We dive into:

How extrasynaptic neuropeptide signalling connects neurons outside synapses The discovery of functional connections invisible in the wiring diagram How C. elegans neural signals propagate both directly and indirectly The creation of a functional connectome that predicts spontaneous activity better than anatomy alone The surprising flexibility and plasticity of even simple nervous systems

📖 Based on the research article: “Neural signal propagation atlas of Caenorhabditis elegans” Francesco Randi, Anuj K. Sharma, Sophie Dvali & Andrew M. Leifer Published in Nature (2023). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06683-4

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism neuroscience that goes deeper than the wires!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]